Simon Schama: cuts will make history preserve of the rich

The Government's new history tsar who was called in by Education Secretary Michael Gove to advise the Government on the history curriculum in schools, also berated academic snobbery among some fellow historians who have worked solely in higher education.

Broadcaster Schama, 66, who is Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University, also made no secret of his fears for what lies ahead for the study of the arts and humanities in British universities.

He said he had deep misgivings about the proposed new financial regimen for higher education.

Schama said he was uneasy that "sciences and subjects, which seem to be on a utilitarian measure useful, have retained their state funding, while the arts and humanities are being stripped of theirs."...

In a thinly veiled attack on PM David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg, Schama said: "It behoves those people who were themselves educated at places like Westminster, and Eton - or in my case, Haberdashers' - to understand the damage that you can do to British culture by making it essentially a wealthy pursuit."

He also slammed some fellow academics, adding: "You have to work very hard to make history boring, and there are plenty of people in the institutions who do a brilliant job of making it boring....